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Russia moves to recognize Georgian separatist regions

Russian troops partrol in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, yesterday, as Russian lawmakers voted to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. PHOTO: AFP

The Russian parliament voted overwhelmingly yesterday to recognize the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions, while Russian President Dmitry Medvedev linked the Georgia conflict to tensions over another separatist region.

The EU, which has criticized Russia’s military intervention, called a special summit on the Georgia crisis. Many European countries expressed concern at the Russian parliament vote to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent.

With Russian troops still inside Georgia and tensions heightened by the arrival in a Georgian port of a US warship carrying aid, Russia’s two parliamentary chambers approved a resolution calling on Medvedev formally to recognize the two regions.

The Duma and Federation Council held special sessions to debate the region’s calls for recognition.

The two regions are internationally recognized as part of Georgia, where Russian troops rolled in on Aug. 8 to fight off a Georgian offensive to retake South Ossetia.

Addressing the Federation Council, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said Russia had saved his region from “genocide.”

He said there was more political and legal legitimacy to recognizing South Ossetia’s independence than there had been for Kosovo, the Serbian province that broke free with EU and US backing.

The Abkhaz separatist leader, Sergei Bagapsh, said: “Neither Abkhazia nor South Ossetia will ever again live in one state with Georgia.”

The parliament appeal was not binding and a final decision on Russian recognition rests with Medvedev.

Medvedev also warned Moldova yesterday against repeating Georgia’s mistake of trying to use force to seize back control of a breakaway region.

Russia sent peacekeepers to Moldova in the early 1990s to end a conflict between Chisinau and its breakaway Transdniestria region and is trying to mediate a deal between the two sides.

Transdniestria, one of a number of “frozen conflicts” in the territory of the former Soviet Union, mirrored the standoff in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

“After the Georgian leadership lost their marbles, as they say, all the problems got worse and a military conflict erupted,” Medvedev told Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin at his Black Sea residence in Sochi.

“This is a serious warning, a warning to all,” he said. “And I believe we should handle other existing conflicts in this context.”

Medvedev, keen to limit diplomatic damage caused by the Russian operation in Georgia, made clear Moldova had no reason to worry for now.

Also yesterday, Medvedev said he was considering a number of options in ties with NATO including halting relations with the military alliance.

“We are ready to take any decision, up to halting relations altogether,” Medvedev said in Sochi during a meeting with Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin.

Moscow also signaled yesterday that it could break off some trade agreements concluded as part of negotiations to join the WTO.

“Russia intends to inform various WTO partners of its withdrawal from accords that contradict its interests,” reports quoted First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov as saying at a “presidium” of top ministers.

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